Bruce was a close family friend who was always known as Uncle Bruce to me. I will never forget the time when he was giving me a ride home from school and I was upset because I had been held back a grade. I can remember it as if it were yesterday, crying the tears of a nine year old because kids at school were making fun of me and calling me retarded.

Bruce told me that I was not retarded but smart for staying back a grade and to always remember that I was smart enough to do anything.

Today, I am a very successful father of five who owes a lot to an Uncle who took the time to talk to me before leaving for Viet Nam 6 days later. Thank you, Uncle Bruce, for taking a few moments out for a kid who needed a hand.

Notes from The Virtual Wall

Although an infantryman, SP4 Wright was assigned to an aviation battalion and flew missions with them - enough to earn the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He is buried in the North Walker Cemetery, Des Moines County, Iowa.